Carr trying to depart keeping with principles he preaches

To a quiet morning in Lloyd Carr's office, before Appalachian State instantly erased what had seemed like unlimited possibilities and put this University of Michigan football season into a bunker from which the coach and his players have never really emerged.

The Michigan coach was reflective, and we talked a lot about change, about how the college game treats the players better than when he was a quarterback at Missouri, but also about how unforgiving and all-seeing the media and Internet magnifying glass had become.

The coach was clearly waiting for the conversation to turn to his future, and when it inevitably did, he opened up as much as he ever has, sharing at least some of the reasons he might retire, if not the ultimate decision.

"I know what it takes ... in terms of the mental attitude, the physical demands, the energy and competitiveness, and I want to be fair to this program," Carr, 62, said. "Because when (those things aren't) there, I have got to know that, and at that point, I've got to stop. I've got to say it's time for somebody else who has what it takes. I've got to be honest with myself.

"I'm sure when I'm done, I'll look down and, God, I'll miss being down there. But there's more to the job than just wanting to be there. You've got to lead. You've got to be tough enough, and you've gotta be at your best. ... If my being here is more important than the program, then I haven't ... that's not right. That's not what I want.
I think the worst thing I could ever say to myself is that ... I didn't love this program enough to do the right thing."

As Carr spoke, it was obvious how tough this is for him. He loves this program. He loves this job. It won't be easy to leave.

But, on some level, he seems to know it's time.

It's a little odd to watch this week's frenzy over his potential retirement, because everyone close to the program has believed for months that Lloyd Carr is retiring.

You don't need CSI Ann Arbor to put the pieces together.

Last January, a Freedom of Information Act request by The Ann Arbor News revealed last January that Carr had changed his contract to ensure he'll get a $300,000 bonus even if he retires. This summer, the Detroit Free Press reported that, for the first time ever, Carr had negotiated two-year deals for his assistant coaches, which assures they won't be left out in the cold if a new coach brings his own staff.

So why not just admit it?

Because Carr is trying to exit in keeping with the principles he has preached to his teams - that no one is bigger than the program, that the kids are the story, not the coach. Turning this season into the Lloyd Carr retirement tour (win one for the glarer?), or this week becoming Beat-OSU-For-Lloyd week isn't in keeping with what Carr has stood for.

At the same time, he doesn't want to lie and give the impression he's returning, so we're all stuck playing a sort of kabuki theater - everyone knows what's really going on, but we ask the retirement question because we're professionally obligated, and

Carr answers as best he can, but never really answers.

A thousand or so miles away, Louisiana State coach Les Miles is stuck playing the same game.

The Michigan grad is coaching the No. 1 team in the country and is obviously going to at least get a phone call when Lloyd Carr retires, although nobody outside of athletic director Bill Martin knows whether that's going to be a courtesy phone call or a please-come-on-home plea.

If Miles says he's interested in the job, he's being disloyal to his team and disrespectful to Carr. If he says he has no interest, he's going to be seen by many Michigan fans as running down the school he claims to love.

So Miles, like Carr, continues to walk a fine line, essentially promising nothing, most recently on the Jim Rome show Wednesday, where he made it clear he has had no contact with Michigan.

"I am completely and 100 percent focused on the task at hand," Miles told Rome. "We play Ole Miss this weekend. The opportunities in front of my football team are great, and I'm not turning an eye in any other direction than the preparation for this football team."

When Rome asked Miles if he'll be at LSU next year, though, Miles would only say he's focused on the job at hand.

Which was pretty much the same answer Carr gave Monday when asked if he'd be at Michigan next year.

Will Miles be the next coach here if Carr steps down?

Not if Carr announces any time soon. Jilting LSU in the midst of a potentially championship season would go against everything Miles' mentor Bo Schembechler stood for, and it would be impossible for Miles and Michigan to both hold out for nearly eight weeks as the Tigers chased the title.

Carr knows that, so you can consider the date of his official announcement a bit of a referendum on whether or not he wants Miles to have a shot at the job.

If there is an announcement.

This hasn't been the season Carr or anyone else expected or wanted, and if he loses to Ohio State and wants to come back and try for a better ending, Martin and the people who run Michigan will be happy to have him.

It feels like it has gone too far for that, though.

That Saturday, for better or for worse, will be both an ending and a beginning, and the only things left to be determined is how happy an ending, and when the beginning officially begins.